


"Happy Birthday, Leader"

by Marie_Ciel



Category: L'Arc~en~Ciel
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-02-11
Updated: 2012-02-11
Packaged: 2017-10-30 23:43:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/337506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marie_Ciel/pseuds/Marie_Ciel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tetsuya is always too hard on himself when it comes to his performances, but for the 20th anniversary shows, he seems to be taking it to heart. Fed up with a mopey husband, Ayana gives him something special for dinner that just might to the trick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	"Happy Birthday, Leader"

“I performed my worst today,” he said. “A three out of ten, at best. I'm surprised no one noticed...”

No number of shoulder-rubs, no words of consolation or hugs or kisses would change his mind. Ayana had tried all of that, a new tactic to match his new complaint every night. It was true, he managed to stay creative in his self-criticism, enough to keep Ayana interested as to what her husband found wrong with himself today.

The 20th anniversary shows bore their share of stress mixed in with the excitement of the occasion, but Tetsuya seemed to be taking it to heart. Judging by the way he was acting, he was determined to be obsessively aware of every slip of the fingers, every forgotten cue, every unbecoming facial expression he made while his feet were within one mile of touching the stage. It was, to the rest of the world at least, completely ridiculous.

His bandmates insisted everything had gone just fine when she asked them, genuinely concerned. “Tet-chan's just being hard on himself,” Hyde had told her with an easy smile. “Let him sleep it off; he'll come around.”

Ayana did not share the vocalist's flippant confidence. Her husband did not so much as share a word with her as they would retire to bed- he would lie on his back each night, eyes wide open and staring at the blank ceiling, undoubtedly counting the number of mistakes he'd made that day.

Tetsuya was the leader. Of course he would be concerned with the quality of the show- but was it really that healthy to obsess over one's own performance, particularly when it was just as good, if not better, than every other? Ayana remained skeptical.

Days had passed since his birthday, since the day his bandmates presented a cake to him on stage, and the adoring crowd serenaded him with “Happy Birthday”. It was not that which he cared to mention every day- no, it was that glorious self-rating of a three out of ten. A good, solid failure.

Ayana entered the living room, gathering up a blanket off of the back of the couch in her arms, destined for the washing machine. Her concerned gaze swept briefly over Tetsuya, who sat slumped in the chair, his reported post for self-criticism. He was dwelling, brooding- perhaps the manifestation of a mid-life crisis, Ayana thought wryly. What with the birthday and all, he was probably due for one.

Once the blanket was taken care of, she checked the time and her thoughts began to turn ritualistically to dinner preparation. Her gaze scoured the kitchen counter, searching for some sort of inspiration when she happened upon a platter tucked away neatly in the corner, covered in plastic wrap...

“Dinnertime,” Tetsuya looked up, his trance temporarily broken by his wife's unexpected voice as well as the mention of food. His eyes blearily followed Ayana as she set a plate in his lap and handed him a fork. He opened his mouth, brow furrowing, presumably to ask her why she was presenting such a thing to him for _dinner_ when it would normally be considered a dessert, but she distracted him with a kiss on the cheek.

“Happy birthday, Leader.”

She left him blinking away confusion, returning to the kitchen, leaving him to eat his special dinner in peace.

When Ayana entered the living room once more, things were decidedly changed. A different Tetsuya looked to her then--

There was a smudge of pink frosting on the tip of his nose, and he was smiling.


End file.
